STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Kona. Hazel. Gatita. Moby.

They’re names that still tug at the heartstrings of their loved ones long after they’re gone.

Now, pet lovers have a place to remember their four-legged companions.

David Hitchin and John Wolcott have cut the ribbon—uh, make that a dog leash—on the new Pet Memory Garden at the Sawtooth Botanical Garden.

The garden, just to the west of the Garden of Infinite Compassion, sits under a canopy of aspen next to a gurgling creek. It features a stone bench with a statue of two playful otters on top that was donated by Dave and Jill Hitchin in honor of their labs.

“Honoring All Beloved Pets. The Bond that is true is true forever. A special wag of the tail to all compassionate pet owners and caregivers. From the Hitchin labs,” the plaque says.

Garden Pet Pals like John and Gina Wolcott, Mountain High Landscaping, Jayker Nursey, Kathleen Phelan and Jim Britt helped provide additional amenities, such as posts where animal lovers can post plaques in honor of a beloved pet.

It doesn’t matter what type of pet. In fact, the statue of the otters was meant to ensure that people feel comfortable to celebrate the memory of any kind of animal or bird.

“This is an ecumenical garden. We can honor a cat or a dog or even a python here,” quipped David Hitchin, noting that his friend Carl Beznoska had just lost Houdini, his pet python of 27 years.

Houdini, who slept next to Beznoska’s bed for years, received his 15 minutes of fame when he swallowed the electric blanket off his bed, thinking it was food.

Some of the plaques are simple and succinct. Others tell the story of the love of their lives.

“Moby came to us in 1998 as a stray Ragdoll mix. He fought off both foxes and raccoons and would come when we whistled. We loved him for 14 extraordinary years,” says one.

“This garden is adorable,” said Rae DeVito, who has nurtured a myriad of cats and dogs. “I think it’s wonderful.”

Kat Vanden Heuval, the garden’s executive director, noted that John Wolcott, a member of the garden board had spent a couple years trying to get everything hammered down.

“This has been a passion project we wanted to get right, and I’m so happy it turned out the way it did,” she said. “And we finished it yesterday—just in time for the ribbon cutting.”

Those attending the ceremony couldn’t help but share stories of their own pets. Becky Smith’s lab Kona was a certified therapy dog. Kona cheered up youngsters in pediatric oncology at St. Luke’s in Boise and  even became certified to soothe patients in the emergency room.

“It was really a joyful thing to do,” said Smith, who lost Kona a year ago. “The dogs calm screaming children right down.”

Laurie Ahern recalled Hazel, a tiny dog she and husband Paul had adopted and named after both of Laurie’s grandmothers. Hazel died when she was just 18 months. But her memory hasn’t faded.

“’ Oh, Hazel!’ That’s what we always said,” said Ahern.

Jane Conard had just lost her cat of 16 years the day before the ceremony and the pain was still very raw. But she said she could see herself coming to the garden to remember Gatita,  the diminutive Spanish name for “cat.”

 “The garden’s such a great idea. Everybody loves their pets. And it’s such a nice place to come enjoy a quiet moment,” she said.

Though young, the landscaping designed by garden manager Kathy Noble is already sporting traces of fall color, thanks to the Korean maple and aspen Noble planted amidst the alpine fir.

The garden will have a blue-white theme during summer, thanks to plants like monkshood, heuchera, veronica, salvia, Columbine, bleeding heart, star flowers, campanelle, anemones and hellebores planted strategically among the ferns.

“I think the Pet Garden will enhance the Sawtooth Botanical Garden for years to come. And, most importantly, it will bring comfort to many of us who wish to honor our very special friends and companions,” said David Hitchin.

WANT TO HONOR YOUR PET?

You can create a long-lasting memory of your bond with a beloved pet with a customized plaque in the new Pet Memory Garden. A 2-by-4-inch plaque costs $125 and can accommodate four lines. A 4-by-4-inch plaque costs $200 and can accommodate seven lines.

For more information, contact the Sawtooth Botanical Garden at 208-726-9358 or visit www.sbgarden.org.